Can someone explain the raw food diet, do they also have any dried food or is it purely raw food? Do I have to buy purpose made raw cat food or can I just buy some meat? What are the advantages of the raw food diet as opposed to dry food and is it much more expensive? Also what are peoples thoughts on wet or dry food. I used to give my little moggy a bit of both and she would always lap it up until she decided that she no longer liked that particular food!!!!

Raw food diet is basically just a mixture of uncooked meat, plus other additives which make up a complete meal and mimics what a cat would eat in the wild. In the wild a cat would eat a whole animal, which includes muscle meat, but also organs and bones etc.

People favor it for a number of reasons, like feeling that it is "as nature intended", and having a much higher caliber of meat and no "fillers" (ingredients like grains which add calories but are thought to not have any nutritional benefit to cats) like most of the commercial foods have. And if you are brave enough to make your own, then you have a much higher degree of quality control than any other food you can buy.

There are a lot of ways you can feed your cat raw food. Many people make their own (there used to be a lot of VERY vocal proponents of this, so if you do some searching in the forum, can you find these posts). They get a meat grinder, find a local source of the raw meat(s) that they are going to put into it, learn what other additives they need to add, and then make big batches of food and freeze them. There are books, facebook groups, websites etc., that are dedicated to people sharing this kind of info.

If becoming a mini "cat food manufacturer" isn't for you, lots of pet stores now sell raw food. There are quite a few brands of frozen raw food you can buy (the one I use is here: http://www.radfood.com, but there are many others too). Also, the "high end" pet food stores tend to also sell freeze-dried raw food. I've never tried those, so couldn't tell you much about them. There's a pet food store near where I live which will also sell you just the meat (frozen) and then sell you all the additives too (bone meal, taurine etc) which would make it complete. So there are lots of options available.

The downside of raw food, especially if you "roll your own" is that you are feeding something that may not be nutritionally complete, which could case various health problems for your cat. So feeding raw is not something you do "half way". Bringing home a pack of ground beef from the supermarket and tossing it in your cat's dish and calling it a "raw diet" is not something you want to do!

I dont really have the time or inclination to be making a wholly raw diet for the cats, but like Brianj12 said above I wanted them to eat 'as nature intended' so I try to get the best of both worlds and feed my two a combination of dry and wet cat food, and then raw (and cooked) meat as well. This gives the convenience of just being able to open a pouch of cat food, but at the same time I give them raw meat without having to worry about them not getting a balanced diet

The bengal is a domestic cat -- most are far removed from the asian leopard cat and can eat manufactured cat food with no problem. The problem for owners is finding the BEST manufactured food without all the byproducts they throw in there, and they feel raw may be better. It's basically better if you start the kitten off from the beginning, making sure the kitty gets all the calcium and taurine from the bones and heart and liver or use a quality vitamin supplement. It's not an easy process if you want to make it yourself, but you can whip up a large batch and freeze it into daily portions. I know our grocery store has a refrigerated area in the pet aisle but I have NEVER looked in it to see if there is any cat food.

My boys were having major health problems that were apparently food-related and exacerbated by canned cat food. So, we shifted to adding some raw. We're holding off on a major transition until we move in six to eight weeks. Right now, we're doing about 1/4 to 1/3 c of minced raw chicken breast (organix) mixed with 1/4t of Kitty Bloom over 1/4 c of Blue Freedom dry, split between both cats twice a day. They get 1/3c of dry mid day and at night before bed, too.

A lot of people are not supportive of the raw transition, but both cats are having firm, formed stools for the first time in their lives, the box doesn't stink, they're drinking water, have lost the bloated belly look from the IBS, have better looking coats, more energy, and are more affectionate. It's working for us at the moment. The vet wants Max to transition off the methylprednisolone he's been on for two years and it finally seems possible. So, it's "to each his own," in my opinion.

YOU GUYS ARE JUST BRILLIANT!!!!! What great advice and a fantastic explanation of the raw food diet. I think that this will be the way to go for me after settling the kitten in. I guess I just need to start slowly introducing it until I can go completely raw. I guess that I have a lot more reading to do to learn all about it. It has actually been a blessing to have to wait a few weeks before I collect my new baby girl because I have had the time to find out as much as I can and I feel a lot more prepared than I did. I need to do some investigation of my local pet stores to see where I can buy the pre prepared food. I do actually own a meat grinder as I make my own sausages so I guess that it wont be too difficult to make cat food. thank you all again for the advice I really appreciate the help.

Once again thank you I have ordered a few of the books that you have recommended and can't wait to learn more. It's funny I have never taken such an interest in anything before and I am really enjoying learning all of this stuff. I have been floating around aimlessly for a few years now and now I feel as if my life has a purpose again. Fostering is pretty full on and this has provided me with a great time out to give me a break and learn about something that I am so passionate about. You guys are all so knowledgeable I have a lot to learn but thanks for the suggestions and recommendations it is much appreciated.

There is a topic in the Nutrition section of this forum on feeding a raw diet. I believe there may be a link somewhere in there to a Facebook page you may want to join. If you have a meat grinder, you already have the major appliance you'll need for this. Especially to whip up a large batch and put into freezer bags. What is the breeder currently feeding your kitty?

Hi Sherry I think that she is just giving her Purina and just the dried food. I don't think that the Purina food is so good as I have heard that they use a lot of fillers and sugar. I will wait to settle her in before I start messing around with her diet though. I cook everyday it is something I enjoy and I often make a large batch of food at once so I don't think that it will be too much of a stretch to provide meals for this little beauty. I will check out the forum as well as I have found out so much information by reading different posts. Thank you as always for your suggestions and advice.

But we are still feeding them by mix of high meat dry food, canned food and meat. I made a batch by instruction from FB group, but our boys don't want eat it. They eat only meat (beef, chicken). They have dry food in bowl during all day and I am putting wet food or meat to them at the morning and in the evening.

I tried switch to more of raw meat because i think that they will have better stools. But yes, I am afraid that they will not have enought parts of nutrition, like a tauirine, calcium, etc..

are the freeze dried raw foods they sell in the pet store good? I like the idea of giving my cats raw food but i find it overwhelming to figure out how to do it myself and then grind, add products to it..... wondering if the freeze dried versions already done are just as good?

are the freeze dried raw foods they sell in the pet store good? I like the idea of giving my cats raw food but i find it overwhelming to figure out how to do it myself and then grind, add products to it..... wondering if the freeze dried versions already done are just as good?

Mine don't care for them, but there are lots of frozen, complete, raw meals available. Do some googling and you should find a place near you that sells some.

The main benefit I've found, that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet, is that a raw diet is very palatable. One of my cats is a very picky eater, will not eat ANY canned food. But he devours my homemade raw food. I got a dog last year, who it turns out is also a picky eater, and we have trouble keeping weight on her. We switched her to raw (bought in, she is a large dog and we don't have time to make her food as well as the cats) and she devours it (thankfully, or she'd be skin and bones!)

I have heard people on here say their cats have turned their noses up at raw when introduced later on, but for my picky eaters it has really been a lifesaver.

I buy my raw online btw, as the only thing I find in shops here is "Natures Menu", which I get the impression is not great quality (my animals weren't keen).

My breeder ground up whole organic chickens raised down the road from her and supplemented a kibble diet with the raw chicken (yes bones and all). I will do for special treats, I will grind chicken and freeze portions for my two lovelies. (And maybe even a share for the dog!)

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